या देवी सर्वभूतेषु चेतनेत्यभिधीयते।
नमस्तस्यै॥१७॥
नमस्तस्यै॥१८॥
नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः॥१९॥
Ya devi sarva bhootheshu chethanethyabhi dhiyathe,
Namasthasyai namasthasyai namasthasyai namo nama.
Repeated Salutations to her, the Devi who abides in the form of consciousness in all beings.
Chetana iti abhidhiyate:
The one who is named consciousness. Chetana is derived from the root chit, which means thought, perception, intellect, intelligence, heart, the soul or Brahman. Sat Chit Ananda are the three inherent qualities of divinity. Sat is eternity or immortality. Chit is consciousness and Ananda is bliss. Since divinity (the Divine Mother) is ominipresent, so is consciousness.
According to some, Chetana is the quality of inner instruments (antahkarana): the mind, intellect, ego, and memory. In reality, consciousness is the power of God that enables every instrument to be conscious. It is the power of Divine Mother.
In the gross body, it is known as viswa (universe), in the astral body, taijasa (brilliance), and in the casual body, prajna (wisdom). In the muladhara chakra, it is viswa, in the svadhisthana chakra, virat (glory all around),in the manipura chakra, taijasa, in the anahata chakra, hiranyagarva (golden womb), in the visudha chakra, Iswara (the Lord), and in the ajna chakra, it is known as abhasa chaitanya (apparent conscious)
O Divine Mother! you are the consciousness in in all living beings. Your presence keeps us alive, active, and aware of our existence; you make us conscious of what is going on inside and outside. Consciousness is our nature. You make consciousness burn in all life. We bow to you as consciousness in all beings as well as within ourselves.
-By Yoga Acharya Sri Yogananda (Sri Rabindra Suttar)
The Devi Mahatmya or Devi Mahatmyam (Sanskrit: devīmāhātmyam, देवीमाहात्म्यम्), or “Glory of the Goddess“) is a Hindu religious text describing the Goddess as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is part of the Markandeya Purana, and estimated to have been composed in Sanskrit between 400-600 CE tradition within Hinduism.
The Devi Mahatmyam describes a storied battle between good and evil, where the Devi manifesting as goddess Durga leads the forces of good against the demon Mahishasura—the goddess is very angry and ruthless, and the forces of good win. In peaceful prosperous times, states the text, the Devi manifests as Lakshmi, empowering wealth creation and happiness. The verses of this story also outline a philosophical foundation wherein the ultimate reality (Brahman in Hinduism) is female. The text is one of the earliest extant complete manuscripts from the Hindu traditions which describes reverence and worship of the feminine aspect of God. The Devi Mahatmya is often ranked in some Hindu traditions to be as important as the Bhagavad Gita.
—Devi Mahatmya
